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Portland, OR - Montana State hung on in the late-going to beat Portland State, 79-76, at the Stott Center and remain perfect in Big Sky Conference play.

The teams battled through 14 ties and 14 lead changes over the opening 28 minutes. Then the Bobcats mounted an 11-2 run to lead 68-59 with six minutes to go. PSU battled back and when DaShaun Wiggins made a driving layup with 1:35 to play the Vikings were down only 72-71.

MSU made enough free throws down the stretch though, hitting 7-10 in the final 1:11. The win put the Bobcats at 8-6 overall, 3-0 and in first place in the Big Sky Conference. 

The Vikings lost their third straight game to drop to 5-7 overall, 0-3 in the Big Sky.

It was a tough loss for the Vikings who played well offensively and kept it close all night. PSU hit 16-24 shots in the second half (.667) and 30-55 for the game (.545). But, Montana State shot .563 on the night, .533 from three-point range and got more chances at the line (17-25 to 8-10).

Wiggins, a junior guard, led the Portland State attack with 20 points, making 7-13 from the field and 5-6 at the line. Senior guard Marcus Hall had a career-high 19 points in the game, hitting 7-10 from the field and a career-high 5-7 from three-point  range. He also had five assists and no turnovers.

Joining those two in double figures were junior guard Tim Douglas, with 14 points and six assists, and senior forward Kyle Richardson, with a season-high 10 points and six rebounds.

Antonio Biglow had 15 points to lead four Bobcats in double-figures. Center Paul Egwuonwu added 13 points and game-high eight rebounds.

The second half started with the Vikings on fire. PSU hit 10 of its first 11 shots in the half, but the Bobcats kept pace by making 9-13 and the game was tied at 57-57 with 11:59 to go. 

Following a media timeout, Montana State took charge. Four different Bobcats scored in the ensuing 11-2 MSU run. That left the Vikings scrambling in the closing moments for a comeback.

"We had plenty of offense tonight, but our defense was embarrassing," said Viking Coach Tyler Geving. "At some point we have to take a little pride in getting through screens harder, contesting shots and rebounding better. We aren't going to win games if we don't do that."

"It's not a lack of effort. We are trying. But we've got to try a little bit harder because we are so small and teams can shoot over us and rebound over us. We are giving up some size, so we have to give an extra effort to what we are giving now."

GAME NOTES: Neither team led by as many as 10 points in the game... Portland State's .545 shooting from the field matched the team's season-best. It was the third time the Vikings have shot over .500 this year… PSU is now 5-3 at home… the Vikings played without senior forward Aaron Moore, who has been suspended from the team… the Bobcats have won six of seven games overall, and three in a row against the Vikings… Big Sky Conference play continues on Saturday night as the Vikings host the University of Montana. Game time is 7:05 p.m. For live audio, video and stats go to GoViks.com and click on the Game Day box.